Electrical connector



Nov. 3, 1964 Filed Sept. 19. 1960 1'. Y. KoRsGREN, JR 3,155,448

ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIG.2

INVENTOR Theodore Y. Korsgren,Jr.

ATTORNEYS 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Sept. 19. 1960 INVENTOR Theodore Y Korsgren,Jr. BY l; l Af'roRNFs Nov. 3, 1964 T. Y. KORSGREN, JR 3,155,448

ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR Filed sept. 19, 1960 s sheets-sheet s INVENTOR Theodore Y. Korsgren,Jr.

United States Patent O 3,155,448 ELECTRCAL CGNNECTUR Theodore Y. Korsgren, r., Woodbury, Conn., assigner to Haydon Switch d: Instrument, Inc., a corporation of Connecticut Filed Sept. 19, 1960, Ser. No. 57,035 4 Claims. (El. 339-201) The present invention relates broadly to improvements in connectors, such as electrical connectors and more specifically to an electrical connector having an improved locking means as well as other novel and useful features.

A primary purpose of the present invention is to disclose a connector havin-g male and female parts which are readily connectable by a continuous transverse relative movement, but which requires a coordinated transverse push-pull movement in order to separate the mating parts. In a specific embodiment disclosed herein, the male element has been provided with a groove adapted to receive a plurality of locking claws, resiliently supported within the female element, upon engagement of the male and female elements. For disengagement, camming means are provided within the female element which may be thrust in a forward direction under portions of the locking claw supports to lift the claws out of the groove in the male pin. While the claws are thus retracted from the groove, the entire female element may then be pulled rearwardly to disengage the parts.

Another aspect of the invention resides in an improved connection between the electrical connectors male element or pin and conducting portions of the female element. The pin and the female element are constructed such that a close iit between the male and female portions of the connector will be provided, thus assuring that a positive electrical connection will be established. This is done by forming the female part of the connector to have flattened wall portions where it receives and makes electrical contact with the pin, the distance between opposing wall portions being somewhat less than the diameter of the pin.

Certain improvements in insulation for electrical connectors of the type contemplated are also disclosed. One such improvement provides prescribed areas of insulation which are rendered less flexible than adjacent areas by a process of selective shrinking. Correlative to this selective shrinking feature, end portions of the connectors insulation are made tlexible and may therefore be compressed, when making connections at bulkheads or the like, to form a seal therewith.

Further aspects of the invention will become more readily apparent upon a reading of the following detailed description of a particular embodiment and of the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing an electrical connector constructed according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is a section taken along the lines 2-2 of FIG. l;

FIG. 3 is a section taken along the lines 3 3 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 1 wherein the locking claws of the female element or receptacle are shown in retracted position;

FIG. 5 is a view wherein two female receptacles (shown in phantom) are connected to a double-ended male pin, each end of which protrudes from a bulkhead to which a central portion of the pin is secured;

FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 5 in which a bulkhead is provided with a resilient covering; and

FIG. 7 is a showing of the connection between a double-ended male pin and two female receptacles.

Referring now to FIG. l, reference numeral 1t) desig- ICC nates an electrical connector constructed according to the present invention. The connector 10 has a male element in the form of a pin 11 and a female element or receptacle generally indicated by the reference numeral 12. With reference to the right hand portion of FIG. l, it will be observed that the receptacle 12 is adapted to be connected permanently to the end of a wire 14. Wire 14 is equipped with a layer of insulation 16 which has been stripped from a forward end 17 thereof in order to make an electrical connection between the wire 14 and the receptacle 12. The receptacle has an electrically conductive member 18, a portion of which denes passage 15 which receives the stripped end 17 of the wire 14 and a portion 17 thereof covered by the insulation 16.

The receptacle 12 has been provided with its own insulating layer 20 which extends to the right beyond the member 18. Thus, when the member 1S has been crimped as indicated at 20 to the stripped end 17 and to the insulated portion 17 as at 20 of the wire 14, the insulating layer 2t) will extend to the right beyond the edge of the member 18. The insulating layer 20 will function as a moderate seal between the exterior of the wire 14 and member 18.

The member 13 will be provided with inspection holes 21, 21', in portions thereof adjacent the end 17 of the wire 14. Similarly, the outer insulating layer 26 of the connector may be provided with matching inspection holes (not shown). In the present embodiment the outer layer 20 is constructed of some translucent material such as translucent Teflon (polytetralluoroethylene). When the wire 14 has been thrust within the member 13, the stripped forward end 17 thereof should be visible through the holes 21, 21 in order to assure that the proper conductive contact is established with the member 18.

As mentioned initially, the male portion of the connector consists of a pin 11 which in the present instance has been shown ias extending from a bulkhead 22.. The bulkhead 22 may be an aircraft partition or the like, and the pin 11 makes an electrical connection with an electrical cable or wire 23. Where the cable 23 extends through the bulkhead 22, a sealing member 241 has been provided which may be maintained in sealed relationship with the bulkhead 22 during the passage of cable 23 therethrough.

The pin 11 is of generally cylindrical design and is received within a passageway 25 defined by a plunger section 26 of the member 18. As seen in FIG. 3, the passageway 25 advantageously is not of true circular crosssection but rather, has flattened wall portions having a slightly smaller inside dimension than the diameter of the pin 11. Thus, when the pin 11 is thrust into the passageway 25, it will tend to distend the walls of the passageway and a positive electrical connection will be established between pin 11, the plunger 26 and thus the wire 14. It will be observed that the member 18 establishes electrical contact between the pin 11 and the wire 14. However, the member 18 has been formed having a solid wall or partition 26' intermediate the oppositely disposed passageways 15 and 25 therein. The partition 25 thus, together with the insulation Ztl, effectively seals the portions of the receptacle 12 receiving the wire 14 from those parts which accommodate the male element or pin 11.

Plunger 2d has been provided with an annular shoulder 27, the radially outer surface of which is adapted to lend sliding support to a generally cylindrical sleeve 28. Sleeve 23 has an end 29 which hooks down over the rear of the shoulder 27 to act as a stop against movement of the sleeve toward the left. Sleeve 2S continues for a distance generally parallel to the walls of the plunger 26 until it ldips radially inward in the form of a joggle 30. thereafter, the sleeve 28 comes into sliding engagement with the outer wall portion of the plunger 26. Proceeding still further toward the left as viewed in FIG. l, the wall of the sleeve 28 has been pressed into a series of separate axially arcuate sections 3l. These sections are formed of spring material in order to resiliently support a plurality of locking claws 33.

When the male and female parts of the connector lll are assembled as in FlG. l, the claws 33 will be retained within a locking groove 34, provided in the circumference of the pin ill. A forward portion of the groove 34 is defined by a raised collar 36 having a precipitous edge adjacent the groove 34 and a bevelled or inclined surface 37 toward the end of the pin. The arrangement is such that as the pin lll is thrust into the passageway within plunger 26 the claws 33 will ride up the inclined surface 37 until they clear the sharp edge of the collar 36. They will then be forced into the groove 34 due to the springloading provided by the claw support portions 3l. The collar will act positively to prevent the claws 33 from slipping out of the groove 34 and thus permitting with drawal of the pin lll, until such retraction of the claws is purposefully effected.

Situated between the sleeve 2S and the outer wall of the plunger 26, is an elongated chamber 39 in which a helical spring @il presses axially against the shoulder 27 and against the inside of the joggle 3b. The sleeve Ztl is slidable reciprocally relative to the plunger, the purpose of the spring ld being to position the parts normally as shown in FIG. l. The radially outer forward end of the plunger 26 has been provided with camming surfaces 3d which lie directly under the resilient supports 3l, etc. for the locking claws 33. The purpose of the camming surface as will be later described in connection with the operation of the device is to exert a lifting force beneath the supports for the claws 33 in order to retract them from the locking groove when the receptacle l2 and the male pin ll are to be separated.

As has been mentioned, the female portion of the connector l2 has been provided with an insulating layer 2h. The layer Zd extends to the left over the sleeve 28 and advantageously is long enough to abut the bulkhead Z2. The insulating layer 2li will be advantageously manufactured of a substance such as irradiated Teflon (polytetraiiuoroethylene) which has the characteristic of being made to shrink upon being subjected to temperatures above certain known levels (625 E). Other materials, such as polyethylene, having similar properties might also be used. lt has been found that the interplay of the various moving parts of the connector fr@ beneath the insulating layer 2li requires that certain degree of ilexibility be imparted to the layer Ztl at certain places to promote the eliiciency of the coupling and uncoupling action. Therefore, during the fabrication of the receptacle l2, the layer 2@ will be heat-treated in selected areas above its shrinking temperature to achieve a skin tight lit of the Teflon, for example, to the member l and the sleeve 25h in those areas. Certain areas wherein the retention of a degree of flexibility is desirable, will not be heat-treated to leave those areas uncontracted or unshrunk. In the i present embodiment, areas indicated by the letter A and A' will remain uncontracted or ilexible and thus will not be heat-treated, while the remaining portions of layer Ztl marked E and B will be heat-treated to render them contracted or shrunk. The flexible or unshrunk portion Y been left unshrunk to permit this portion of the layer to be compressed against the bulkhead when the receptacle has been connected to the pin lll. This will allow layer Ztl to act as a seal between the exterior surface of the f bulkhead and the internal parts of the connector.

In the operation of the device, after the wire has been connected to the female connector l2 as heretofore described, the receptacle l2 will be connected to the male pin lll. This is accomplished simply by sliding the head of the pin ll to the full extent of its travel into the passageway 25. As the locking claws 33 reach the inclined surface 37, they will be spread apart and after clearing the edge of the collar 36, the resilient force supplied by their supports 3l will seat the claws securely within the groove 34. At the same time, the forward portion of the insulating layer 2@ will be compressed against the bulkhead to form a seal therewith.

ln releasing the male and female portions of the connector, the receptacle l2 will be grasped about its outer surface somewhatto the right of the plunger 2.o. The receptacle will be thrust steadily toward the bulkhead 22 to force the camming surfaces 38 of the plunger 2o under the claw supports 3l to retract the claws 33 from the groove 341 (see FIG. 4). As shown, the pin lll moves further into the passageway 25. This action will cause the sleeve 2? to slide toward the right thereby compressing the spring di). The receptacle l2 will then be held (preferably with a tool such as a pair of pliers) about that portion of the sleeve 23 intermediate the joggle Sil and the arcuate section 32. This will prevent the spring itl from forcing the sleeve 2b to the left and thus prevent the claws 33 from being ire-seated in the groove 34. With the claws 333 retracted, the receptacle may be withdrawn toward the right and the pin ll withdrawn from the passageway Z5. Thus, in separating the pin lll from the receptacle l2, a coordinated push-pull action is necessary. rl`his requirement which prevents inadvertent uncoupling of the electrical connection when once established is a naterial safety factor in its use.

With reference to FlG. 5, a modication of the invention has been shown which may be highly useful under certain circumstances. Accordingly, a bulkhead d2, such as an aircraft partition, has a cutout or opening i3Y therein. The opening may be closed by a plate 44 which is attachedV to the bulkhead by a plurality of screws la spaced equidistantly about the periphery of the plate. The plate 44 will thereafter, in effect, form a part of the bulkhead A double-ended nia-le element or pin ai will be assembled to the plate 44 prior to the latters attachment to the bulkhead 42. Each end of the pin i8 which protrudes from the opposite sides `of the plate id is identical with the pin Ill shown in FIGS. l-4. As has been indicated in phantom, each end of the pin d8 may then conveniently form a coupling with a receptacle 12 which has been attached to the end of a wire or cable (not shown). This permits the establishing of an electrical connection between wires or cables which are separated by bulkheads, without requiring that the wire pass physically through the bulkhead. The .advantages possessed by this arrrangement are fairly obvious and should find immediate application especially in aircraft and missile construction.

FIG. `6 illustrates an embodiment similar to that of FIG. 5 except that a plate forming a portion of a bulkhead Sli is provided which has a resilient covering 5l bonded thereto. As in the embodiment of HG. 5, a doubleended male pin 52 is attached at its center to the bulkhead. The pin S2 is adapted to receive at each end a cable or wire 53, 54% equipped with the female receptacle of the invention -to establish an electrical connection between the Lwires or cables 53, 5d. When the female receptacles are fully connected to the pin 52, end portions 56, 57 of the outer insulating layers encasing the wires 53, dd will abut and indent the resilient covering 5l bonded tothe bulkhead Sil. rfhis arrangement will increase the normal resilient sealing effect of the endV portions 56, 57.

w ln FlG. 7 a double-ended pin 523 is utilized to establish electrical contact between two wires 59, all. rThe wires 59, 'oil are again equipped `with the female receptacle dis-V closed herein, each mating with one end of the pin 53.

aisselle The insulating layers 61, d2 of each female receptacle will meet, as shown at 65, to form a seal.

It will be understood that the foregoing description relates to a presently preferred embodiment and is merely representative. Therefore, in order to appreciate fully the spirit and scope of the invention, reference should be made to the appended claims.

I claim:

1. An electrical connector having male and female portions, said male portion comprising a pin having an annular locking groove in the periphery thereof, said female portion including a conducting member adapted to make an electrical connection between a wire attached thereto and said pin, said conducting member having a plunger portion deiining an internal passageway and a rearwardly positioned radially outwardly disposed shoulder, a sleeve concentrically surrounding said plunger and being movable therewith and relative thereto7 a plurality of locking claws integrally supported by clau/supporting portions of said sleeve, said claw-,supporting portions being cam-shaped to be thrust radially outward upon movement of the forward end of said plunger therealong, said sleeve being shaped at a distance forward of said shoulder to converge inwardly against said plunger to deline a chamber between said plunger and said sleeve, a compression spring disposed within said chamber, said spring normally urging said sleeve and said plunger in opposite directions and adapted to be compressed between said shoulder and said sleeve, said locking claws being adapted to be seated within said annular groove upon sufficient movement in a predetermined direction of said plunger and said sleeve relative to said pin, and said claws being adapted to be retracted from said groove upon further movement of the `forward end of said plunger in said predetermined direction along said cam-shaped, clawsupporting portions.

2. A safety locking electrical connector according to claim 1 including a tubular insulating sheath having a substantially uniform wall section comprised of a normally iiexible shrinkable plastic material, said sheath having alternate contracted and uncontracted portions, said contracted portions gripping said relatively movable portions of said connector, and said Iuncontracted portions being ilexible and accommodating relative movement of said movable portions of said connector.

3. An electrical connector for connecting an electrical conductor to a longitudinal pin having an annular locking groove spaced from its. free end, comprising an electrically conductive tubular socket adapted to be received telescopically over said pin in electrically conducting sur face contact therewith, a locking sleeve received telescopically over said tubular socket, resilient support means integral with said locking sleeve and projecting axially beyond the forward free end of said socket, said resilient support means having cam surface portions projecting inwardly toward the axis of said tubular socket, locking claws integral with said resilient support means and projecting radially inwardly of said support means toward the axis of said tubular socket, said claws being radially movable inwardly and outwardly from the axis of said tubular socket for locking engagement and unlocking disengagement, respectively, vvith said annular groove, spring means acting between said tubular socket and said locking sleeve to urge said socket and said sleeve in opposite directions, said locking sleeve and said tubular socket being axially movable relative to one another in a predetermined path, said tubular socket, said spring means and said sleeve being adapted to be displaced together relative to said pin by ya locking movement in a first axial direction to effect the electrical connection of said tubular socket with said pin and to eiiect a ratchet-like locking of said locking sleeve and said annular groove, said tubular socket being adapted to be displaced against the urging of said spring means relative to said locking sleeve by an unlocking movement in said first axial direction to cause said locking claws to be projected outwardly from said annular groove by the movement of the forward free end of said tubular socket along said cam surface of said resilient support means, whereby disconnection or" said tubular socket from said connector pin is effected by withdrawal in a second axial direction of said tubular socket while simultaneously maintaining the said tubular socket free end and said resilient support means in a cooperative claw projecting relation.

4. A safety locking electrical connector adapted to be detachably coupled with a pin-like element having an annular groove spaced rearwardly from the free end thereof, an inner female socket member adapted to contact electrically said pin-like element when moved in a predetermined direction theretowards, an outer tubular member in telescopic association with said inner socket member and serving as a locking means, said outer member having a plurality oi slits therein delining a plurality of locking claws adapted to be engaged with the annular groove in the pin-like element, and spring means acting between said inner and outer members to urge said members apart when said locking claws are in a predetermined locking position, `said spring means upon compression accommodating relative movement of said inner and outer members to enable said inner member to cam said locking claws into a predetermined unlocking position in which said claws are free of said annular groove, said locking means being adapted to be unlocked by a displacement or said socket in said predetermined direction towards said pinlike element.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,051,849 Pilcher Ian. 28, 1913 2,371,469 Rogol Mar. 13, 1945 2,396,771 Brinson Mar. 19, 1946 2,501,674 Graham Mar. 28, 1950 2,506,979 Varnum May 9, 1950 2,513,305 Gagnier July 4, 1950 2,557,746 Ingham lune 19, 1951 2,567,727 Quackenbush Sept. 11, 1951 2,596,887 Brundage May 13, 1952 2,721,981 Modrey Oct. 25, 1955 2,890,433 Lilen'berg lune 9, 1959 2,944,325 Clark July 12, 1960 2,958,844 Smith et al Nov. 1, 1960 3,077,027 Sola et al Feb. 12, 1963 FOREIGN PATENTS 105,227 reat Britain Feb. 14, 1918 845,697 Great Britain Aug. 24, 1960 497,119 Canada Oct. 27, 1953 

4. A SAFETY LOCKING ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR ADAPTED TO BE DETACHABLY COUPLED WITH A PIN-LIKE ELEMENT HAVING AN ANNULAR GROOVE SPACED REARWARDLY FROM THE FREE END THEREOF, AN INNER FEMALE SOCKET MEMBER ADAPTED TO CONTACT ELECTRICALLY SAID PIN-LIKE ELEMENT WHEN MOVED IN A PREDETERMINED DIRECTION THERETOWARDS, AN OUTER TUBULAR MEMBER IN TELESCOPIC ASSOCIATION WITH SAID INNER SOCKET MEMBER AND SERVING AS A LOCKING MEANS, SAID OUTER MEMBER HAVING A PLURALITY OF SLITS THEREIN DEFINING A PLURALITY OF LOCKING CLAWS ADAPTED TO BE ENGAGED WITH THE ANNULAR GROOVE IN THE PIN-LIKE ELEMENT, AND SPRING MEANS ACTING BETWEEN SAID INNER AND OUTER MEMBERS TO URGE SAID MEMBERS APART WHEN SAID LOCKING CLAWS ARE IN A PREDETERMINED LOCKING POSITION, SAID SPRING MEANS UPON COMPRESSION ACCOMMODATING RELATIVE MOVEMENT OF SAID INNER AND OUTER MEMBERS TO ENABLE SAID INNER MEMBER TO CAM SAID LOCKING CLAWS INTO A PREDETERMINED UNLOCKING POSITION IN WHICH SAID CLAWS ARE FREE OF SAID ANNULAR GROOVE, SAID LOCKING MEANS BEING ADAPTED TO BE UNLOCKED BY A DISPLACEMENT OF SAID SOCKET IN SAID PREDETERMINED DIRECTION TOWARDS SAID PINLIKE ELEMENT. 